research and innuendo
by meggie272
Summary: Moments of Newton and Zero's life pre-Giratina and the Sky Warrior. Silly, sweet snippets. AntipodeanShipping, nothing explicit, but T for innuendo.


**Author's Note: So this is a sequel of sorts to Lab Coats and Pencils. I love AntipodeanShipping, so much. If you read, please review, I'd really appreciate it :) The little stories are arranged in roughly chronological order, all set before the time the movie starts. When Newton and Zero are working together in their laboratory. This is because I'm crap at writing drama, and after Zero goes insane and tries to kill the world and gets chucked in the slammer, drama is inevitable. **

**Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to Pokemon/Nintendo. I take no credit for them.**

**~research and innuendo~**

**1. Armadillo**

After a few weeks of research and take-out noodles, Zero thought they might be getting to be friends.

When he was crippled with flu and couldn't get out the door without swaying, Newton gently lead him to the hard plastic couch and stayed all night in the lab with him. Through his delirium-riddled brain, Zero thought they might be pretty good friends now.

When Zero told a pathetic little joke about an armadillo, still focusing on his diagram, Newton laughed in that wonderful big way he had. They looked up at each other just as it died down to a chuckle, and Zero saw something there in those hazel eyes that told him that they really were friends, of the best sort. It came as a bit of a shock to him, the realization in that air-conditioned room with the computers humming, that Newton was all he had.

**2. Practical Exam**

Zero scribbled idly, his mind nowhere in particular, spinning a little in his wheeled desk chair. The laboratory was filled with the quiet hum of computers and technology, a fly buzzing angrily at the window. The light was fading outside, giving the room the blue, luminescent look that it always got, shadows piling up in corners.

He was aware of Newton coming up behind him and putting both hands on the back of his chair.

"Zero," Newton said softly.

"Yes, master?" He continued to scribble in the corner of the page, liking the quiet atmosphere.

"I think it's time to put into action the ideas I know we've both been having."

The lead of his pencil snapped. Zero sat up straight, very slowly, and felt a blush spread across his cheeks. Surely…

"We've been ruminating on these thoughts for quite a while now, my young assistant, and one can only wonder for so long."

Oh. My. _God_, thought Zero. His heart was hammering and he could feel his palms getting sweaty.

"In other words," Newton said, still in that same quiet, thoughtful tone – was he trying to be s…s…seductive? Zero stammered the thought, even in his head – "…_time for the practical exam_."

Zero spun around on his wheely chair so fast that he fell ungracefully off it, landing with a hard thump on the linoleum flooring. Newton staggered slightly, yelping from the nasty plastic burns on his hands.

He noticed the crumpled heap of Zero almost instantaneously and forgot about blowing on his sore hands, dropping to his knees beside him. "Are you all right?""I…I…" Zero gasped.

"I was simply referring to the new database. I thought we could give it a test run before we go our separate ways for the night."

"…oh," Zero said weakly.

"And what with all the paperwork we've been doing for the past few months, all the designs and equations, I thought we were finally ready to see how it worked in action."

"Right. Right."

"What did you…think I meant?"

Zero sat up and attempted to smooth down his ruffled hairdo.

"N-nothing. Low blood sugar. I'm a bit…a bit…right. Database. Yep."

"Database," Newton said, standing up and offering a hand to his student.

"Let's practically examinate that thing till it can't take it any longer," Zero muttered, feeling sure he'd never live this down.

**3. New Year's Eve.**

They stood outside on wet grass, drizzle falling softly over them, droplets resting on the collars of their lab coats. The cold bit at their noses.

The moment occured when Newton's stupid, over-large watch ticked over to 12:00 and the first firework exploded in a shower of colour. Speaking quietly and deliberately, the scientist told his assistant exactly what his New Year's resolution was.

Red and blue glitter spread across the sky. It was a perfect moment.

**4. Promises**

A fist slammed down on the table. Zero jumped, and then wished he hadn't. Obviously Newton wasn't too happy about just a simple statement of facts and a proposition for a situation that would benefit them both much more than the current muddled state of affairs.

"Rrgh!" Zero slammed his pencil down in frustration.

"It's OK. We'll find a way around it, Zero."

"We keep having these damn problems! We're never going to get the bloody thing finished, nrrrgh…" Zero dropped his head on to the desk with a painful sounding BANG, almost impaling his eye on his pencil in the process.

"You're so cute when you're mad," Newton said diplomatically.

"You won't be saying that when I take over the world, master."

"I'll be right beside you when you take over the world." Newton leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out.

"Really?" Zero said, lifting his head up wearily and rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah. Of course. As long as you don't leave the toilet seat up." Newton winked. "Now, let's take another look at this…"

**2. Stay**

"I. Don't. Give. A. Damn."

"O-kay," Zero said softly. "Master – "

"Why don't you let yourself love, Zero? Hmm?"

"I – that is such a cliché."

Newton grabbed the collar of Zero's lab coat with both hands, and pulled him up from his chair.

"Hngk," managed Zero, wondering if his neck would ever be the same.

"You make me happy. Stay," the scientist growled. It was quite possibly the most unromantic proposal in the history of the universe. But it was a proposal. This fact hit Zero like a hammer.

He thought for a moment. Newton breathed rather quicker than usual. The computers hummed.

"Okay," he said weakly.

**6. Poetry**

"What's this?"

"Oh, that's _nothing. _Give it back. GIVE IT BACK!"

"It's poetry!"

"I…no it's…"

"Your love spins gently through my rollercoaster soul/And when I'm with you I'll never be cold…Zero…this is absolute crap."

"It was three in the morning! I'd had too much port…"

"It's _cute _crap, though."

"Shuddup."


End file.
